


A Merry Little Life Day

by StarryWrites



Series: When On Batuu [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Batuu is for lovers, Din Djarin Removes the Helmet, F/M, Family Feels, Fluff and Smut, Idiots in Love, Keldabe Kiss, Life Day (Star Wars), Love Confessions, Mama Cara Dune, Planet Batuu (Star Wars), Shameless Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:48:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28355733
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarryWrites/pseuds/StarryWrites
Summary: "Batuu?""It's close. And we'll make it just in time for Life Day."AU that the S2 finale had a happy ending and now Din, Cara and Grogu are just a happy family of bounty hunters trying to celebrate the holiday.
Relationships: Din Djarin & Cara Dune, Din Djarin/Cara Dune
Series: When On Batuu [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2016323
Comments: 5
Kudos: 67





	A Merry Little Life Day

**Author's Note:**

> I'm so soft from all the comments on my last Cara/Din fic that I wanted to do something a bit happier. 🥲 This was supposed to be a fluffy Hallmark Channel Christmas movie but then smut happened. Idk. Sorry.

"We should stop on Batuu."

"Batuu?"

"It's close. And we'll make it just in time for Life Day."

"You actually celebrate Life Day?'

"You don't?"

His helmet tilted as if to indicate he was going to reply, but Cara cut him off. "Right. Nevermind." 

"It's not-"

"ANYWAY, I'm sure the little guy wants to experience celebrating the holiday with his mama and daddy. Don't you Grogu?" 

The baby babbled excitedly and Cara smiled brightly. "See?"

"You're impossible, Dune," he conceded with a sigh. "But, it probably wouldn't hurt to resupply."

"You hear that? We're gonna celebrate Life Day on a shady backwater planet," she chirped enthusiastically at Grogu as Din altered the course of the ship. "I bet we can even find a new toy so you don't have to play with that choking hazard. Gifts are the best part of the day after all...next to the roast tip yip, of course." 

The last part was more of a pointed comment toward Din than the child. A person could only eat so many portion packets.

He pretended not to hear her jab.

"We've still got a few hours to go. Why don't you put Grogu down for a nap?" 

"Hmm, probably should. Whaddya think, kid?" She scooped Grogu up from his seat, made her way down the ladder and yelled back up, "Be back shortly."

She was not back shortly. 

He found them sitting on the floor of his quarters, leaning against the wall under Grogu's hammock. The baby was on her lap, snuggled into the arm wrapped around him, snoring softly. A holodrama played idly on her datapad, apparently boring enough to send them both to sleep. 

"Hey. Cara." He tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear before gently squeezing her upper arm. "Time to get up." 

She blinked blearily, "Sorry. Didn't mean to fall asleep like that." 

"You probably needed it." He offered Cara a hand, pulling her up. "We'll be landing soon. Best get strapped in."

He headed back to the cockpit and she followed behind, fussing over the slowly waking up child.

For once, it was a smooth landing.

"Ready?"

"The tip yip is calling my name."

Before lowering the ramp, he placed a hand on the back of her head and pressed their foreheads together, a gesture he had taken to doing every time they were about to leave the ship. 

Early on Cara had tried to ask the significance of what she assumed was some odd Mandalorian custom, but quickly gave up on Din's non-answers and just let the strangely intimate headbutt happen. 

"I'll meet you in the main marketplace in a few hours." 

"You got it, dude." She gave him a thumbs up and Grogu attempted to mimic the gesture from his perch in Cara's arms.

They went their separate ways around the outpost, Din acquiring supplies and Cara taking the baby around to get a warm meal and admire the decorations. Garland and lights were hung from every surface possible and a large tree with glittering decorations stood just inside the outpost's gate. 

Cara couldn't help but smile at how mesmerized Grogu was by all the twinkling lights and shiny baubles. It almost made her feel like a kid again as she watched his delight. Though, on more than one occasion she caught him reaching out a tiny green hand.

"Nuh-uh little man," she scolded, after his third attempt at pilfering an iridescent red orb. 

He cooed softly, lowering his ears and giving her the saddest eyes.

"Oh, don't look at me like that," she sighed, rubbing the back of his hand. "How about I let you pick out some of your own decorations for the ship? I wanted to buy a few anyway."

Grogu perked up and babbled happily. 

"It's settled then. Just don't tell your dad this was my idea."

When they met back up with Din, he was standing in front of the toy shop, waiting patiently.

"Sure you wanna stand there?" Cara smiled wickedly. 

His body language asked a wordless question and she answered by stepping closer while adjusting her hold on Grogu. In one swift motion she reached around to the back of his helmet and pulled him down until her forehead rested against his.

"Cara, what are you -"

"You're the one that stood under the mistletoe, lazerbrain. So shut up and let me kiss you." 

Though she might have seemed relatively cavalier, Cara's heart thundered in her chest and she forced all of her willpower into steadying her breathing and shaking hands. 

Feelings weren't exactly something they ever talked about. It was all reading between the lines of how they always had each other's back, tended to each other's injuries after difficult missions - not to mention the one time they actually fucked, rough and needy and mostly clothed, under the guise of burning off adrenaline after they thought they were both going to die - and the nuances of their downright domestic existence in between it all. And, of course, the fact that he'd been secretly kissing her for months. 

Still, she half expected him to push her away.

"How did you figure it out?" He relaxed into the gesture, placing a hand on the nape of her neck. 

Cara let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. "I was watching some sappy period holodrama about forbidden love between a Mandalorian princess and a Jedi and it clicked..."

He hummed in acknowledgement and let a comfortable silence wash over them, despite the bustling crowd. 

"Because I love you," she added softly.

"What? I didn't catch that."

"I said we should probably get back to shopping," she smiled, pulling away and turning her attention back to the kid.

"This one is cute." She held up a bird-shaped plushie from the nearby display to which Grogu made grabby hands at and then promptly began chewing on.

Din handed over a few credits to the shopkeep as Cara traipsed along to the next stall. 

She held up a handful of silver tinsel garland and smiled brightly, "It matches your armor!" 

* * *

Back on the ship, in the security of hyperspace, Cara had taken it upon herself to fill all available surfaces with the newly acquired garland, baubles and strings of lights. 

She was leaning against a wall, admiring her handiwork around their makeshift living quarters when Din finished putting Grogu to bed. 

"Cara, I have something for you." 

"Oh...I was so focused on the kid I didn't get you anything." 

"You've given me more than enough." 

She arched an inquisitive brow as he turned her to face away. 

"What am I supposed to be looking at?" She asked after a beat, fully confused. 

A hand returned to her shoulder, turning her back around. "Me," he answered.

Cara immediately bowed her head. "Din, what are you doing? Don't throw everything away for me."

"I'm not throwing anything away." He gripped her chin, forcing her to look up, but she kept her eyes downcast. "I've been thinking about what it means to be Mandalorian. The others I've met. Maybe there is more than one Way. You're my partner. A mother to my son. And I...I love you, too." 

At that, her eyes opened wide, almost on reflex, and for the first time was able to see the man behind the helmet. 

"I haven't wanted to fully admit it to myself," he continued, shifting his hand to cup the side of her face, thumb tracing over her tattoo. "But we've been a clan of three for a while now. I want to share this with my family." 

"Family..." she broke her gaze and instead fixated on his shoulder, running her fingers over his mudhorn signet. When she looked up again it was shyly under her lashes. "I like the sound of that." 

Cara trailed her hand from his shoulder up his jaw, letting her fingers gently trace along the stubble framing his face. 

He inhaled sharply and closed his eyes at her touch. She almost pulled away, unsure of how to gauge his reaction, until he pressed her palm fully against his cheek. 

Neither dared to say a word. Only the gentle hum of the ship running accompanied the sound of their breathing. 

When Din opened his eyes again the intensity of his gaze made Cara's breath catch in her throat. 

In a heartbeat, he had her pinned against the wall, hands holding her waist and their lips locked together. 

_Starving_ was the only thing Cara could comprehend through the fervor of his kiss. He was starving to touch, to be touched; he was going to devour her alive - and she was happy to let him. 

Her hands curled around the edge of beskar plates, gripping for dear life. She caught his lower lip between her teeth and tugged, encouraging him to not hold back. 

Cara was left struggling to catch her breath as he broke away to worry a bruise over her pulse point. Her own molten hot desire was threatening to consume her from where it pooled in her belly and she found herself trying to grind her hips against him. 

"Not here, _cyar'ika_ ," Din whispered against her neck. 

"My bunk then?" She gasped as he nipped at her clavicle, fumbling to find the control panel beside her. 

Eventually she found it and the door gave way with a swoosh. Cara sidestepped into the small room, dragging Din along with her.

Their rush to consume each other was temporarily lost in the warm glow of multi-colored fairy lights softly illuminating her space. For a moment they just stood there, staring at each other. 

"I like what you've done with the place." 

"I think it's festive," Cara quipped. "You're awful reflective, though." 

"And you're wearing too much."

They came together for another kiss and soon their hands were moving as frantically as their mouths to tear at each other's armor and clothing. Nimble fingers searched for each buckle and fastening, pulling away bits of fabric. Heated kisses wandered over each new patch of exposed skin until everything lay in a jumbled pile at their feet. 

"I want you to let my braid down," Cara breathed between kisses.

Din pulled back, giving her a curious look.

"It doesn't mean anything, culturally. It's a personal thing," she explained, turning to put her back toward him. "It keeps it out of the way, for fighting."

"It's your last piece of armor."

"Something like that."

Din gave a tentative tug on the ribbon at the end of her braid. The knot pulled loose easier than expected, letting soft locks of hair flood his fingers. Cara shivered involuntarily feeling his hands tremble as he pulled the crisscrossed strands apart. Every nerve in her body was like a live wire, each touch an electric shock.

"Who knew you could be so gentle, Mando," she joked, desperate to cut through the thick tension. 

He paused, picking up on her unease, fingers hovering over the last twist. "We can stop, if you want. I don't know how to tie it back though." 

"Letting my guard down like this… I can only imagine how you feel without the bucket. I'm not good with the intimacy thing. I'll probably kriff this up." 

His hands dropped down to her biceps and he placed a soft kiss on the curve of her shoulder. 

"You must think I'm a real nerfherder," she laughed, snaking a hand up to tangle in his dark curls, holding him in place. "You already got me out of my clothes but this is what makes me awkward." 

"I don't know how to do this either," Din mumbled against her flushed skin. "We can figure it out together."

His hands shifted down her arms to her hips with the lightest touch, eliciting a shiver. One hand continued it's journey back up to cup a breast while the other splayed against her lower abdomen, pulling her tightly against him. 

Din kneaded the soft flesh before pinching nipple between his fingers. Cara ground her ass against him in response, feeling his hard length against her. 

Carefully, she nudged his hand between her legs, encouraging his fingers to slip through her wet, aching folds.

"Cara, let me love you," he sighed in response.

"Please."

At that word he pulled away and guided her onto the bed. Her hair fanned out like an oil slick halo on the pillow and she smiled up at him, eyes feverishly bright. 

Din gently kissed her forehead, her cheeks and then trailed more down her neck to the valley of her breasts. His scruffy beard scratched at her sensitive skin, a rough contrast to his soft kisses that wasn't entirely unpleasant. 

He stopped to give attention to each of her breasts in turn, sucking and nipping at the taught peaks, before continuing the journey down her stomach.

He skipped over where she really wanted his mouth, however, instead leaving a trail of kisses from a knee up her thigh. He repeated the act on the other side, but this time pausing centimeters away from her dripping heat.

"Stop teasing me," she complained, looping her legs over his shoulders, trying to pull him closer.

"So impatient." 

Cara moaned as his tongue finally dove in, dragging through her core. 

Din took his time eating her out, even as her hips bucked and wiggled beneath him and her breathing grew ragged. He pulled away when he felt her tense, so dangerously close to orgasm. 

She whined as he kissed his way back up her body. " _Din_ , I was so close…"

"I know," he chuckled, before letting Cara taste herself on his lips. 

Lightly, she pushed him off of her, rearranging their positions until she was straddling his hips. 

She slid down him with minimal resistance, throwing her head back with a gasp when he bottomed out. He gripped her hips, helping her rock against him. 

Cara indulged herself in this moment to fully take in the sight of Din so vulnerable beneath her. His gaze was trained on her but his expression was so blissed out she wasn't sure if he was actually seeing anything. On the other hand, Cara let her eyes and fingers wander over the expanse of tan skin before her, reverently tracing the outline of each toned muscle and fading scar. 

When she leaned forward to kiss him her hair fell in a dark curtain around them. 

He reached up to tuck her hair behind her ear before wrapping his fingers around her throat. She keened at the unexpected sensation. Din increased the pressure on her pulse points, just enough to make her dizzy. When she collapsed onto his chest he took her moment of disorientation to flip them over. 

"That was sneaky," Cara pretended to pout, fake straining against the hand holding her wrists above her head. 

"You loved it."

"Yeah, it _was_ kinda hot."

His pace was excruciatingly slow, prolonging each movement as much as possible, making her writhe beneath him. The fingers of his free hand gripped her hip with bruising strength in an attempt to keep her from grinding against each thrust, teasing her to her breaking point. 

Her hands were clenched into fists that tightened each time their hips pressed together. Bit by bit she was coming undone beneath him.

"Faster, Din. Please. I need more." Her pleads turned into incoherent babble, a mix of "please" and his name whispered like a prayer. 

He let her squirm her wrists out from his grip as he gave her what she wanted, driving into her hard and fast. 

"Like this?"

"Stars, YES," she gasped, digging her fingers into his shoulder blades.

A gravelly moan caught in his throat as she clawed at him, her nails biting into his flesh and leaving marks in their wake. His rhythm faltered into something uneven and instinctual. 

" _Trattok'o_ , Carasynthia," he murmured into her ear. " _Gedet'ye, cyar'ika_." 

"I don't...ah...know what that...ngh...means." 

She tangled a hand in his hair as their lips met for another kiss, swallowing all of her needy moans.

His forehead came to rest against hers as they broke apart for air. "Cara...Cara... _Ka'ra_... _Ner ka'ra_."

With a final snap of his hips she arched into him, her whole body trembling as she fell apart. Cara bit into the crook of his neck to muffle her cry, hitting just the right spot to send him over the edge with her. Every nerve in her body was alight with fire as she felt him spill into her.

They stayed like that, spent and struggling to catch their breath, until their sweat-slick skin began to cool. 

Din pulled a blanket up as he rolled off her. The bed was slightly too small to accommodate two adults and Cara found herself throwing a leg over his and shimmying to lay halfway on top of him. 

"You're incredible Cara," he breathed, brushing a damp piece of hair off her cheek. 

"Only for you." She pressed a small kiss to his shoulder before propping herself up on his chest, relishing the chance to properly look at Din.

He had one arm tucked behind his head, eyes closed and a sleepy smile pulled at the corners of his lips. His free hand traced invisible patterns on Cara's side.

"It's a good thing you wear that bucket or everyone would want a piece of you," she smiled, running a finger over a scar on the bridge of his nose. "You're very handsome." 

"Says the most beautiful woman in the galaxy."

She ducked her head to blow a raspberry on his chest before settling back against him, eyes fluttering closed contentedly. 

"And that's what I think about that," she mumbled.

He chuckled in response, letting his hand come to rest on her lower back.

"Happy Life Day, Cara." 

**Author's Note:**

> I took some liberties on the Mando'a (since Wookiepedia didn't have all the exact words I wanted) but we all know Din has one brain cell and would probably forget Basic.
> 
> Sorry I'm a bit late getting this up in time for the holiday but if you've read this far I hope you enjoyed nonetheless.


End file.
